Healing of a bone fracture may be enhanced by using various compression or distraction devices or tools that hold the fractured bone together. Such tools typically utilize, for example, a bone plate that must be secured to both sides of the fracture by pins, clamps or screws. Other methods of improving bone fracture healing may be used such as intramedullary pinning, which is a pin inserted longitudinally through the bone sections; by cerclage wiring around the fracture; by external pin fixation; and by various configurations using well known and commonly available from medical supply firms Kirschner's clamps and pins.
To successfully apply such devices during surgery and to properly seat the bone portions, it is necessary to compress the bone, and/or distract and then compress the bone, depending on the type of fracture. After compression, distraction, or both, the bone must be held immobile while the plate or other devices listed above are being installed; and kept in place during the subsequent healing process.
Presently, various bone hooks and clamps are utilized for compression and/or distraction. Some clamps partially encircle both bone portions and then attempt to apply linear force to compress the same. Disadvantages of such bone encircling clamps are that, due to the applied pressure, the bone may break, or the clamp may slip. Further, it is extremely difficult, with the prior art devices, to apply a solid and steady compressive force, which is defined as forcing the bone ends together to minimize any gap between them, prior to fixation.
For distraction, which is defined as the elimination of the bone overlap, bone hooks are commonly used but they require the use of two hands to apply them. Due to their disjunctive nature, such hooks provide uneven, unsteady forces that are difficult to manipulate and control. There are other distraction devices that are complicated and also difficult to use.
Accordingly, it may be appreciated that the prior art bone compression and distraction tools have been difficult to control; generally are complex in construction; require two hands for proper manipulation; do not provide an even, steady application of force in the proper direction; require relatively large incisions; and are equally difficult to install as to remove.
The present invention relates to a simplified but versatile surgical tool that may be used to either compress or distract a bone fracture and to facilitate reduction or alignment of the broken bone prior to fixation.
Prior art U.S. patents in the general area of which I am aware include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,842 and 4,187,841.